Monday, September 18, 2006

NFL Week 2 Quickie: Best 2-0 Team?

Comments Question: Who are your biggest Studs (and Duds) from Week 2? (Also: Who is the best 2-0 team in the NFL? What does your Top 5 look like?)

After Week 2, I always like to look at the conventional wisdom after Week 1 to see how it's been modified, now that we've doubled our data points:

(Games involving 2-0 teams listed first. Using this first entry as a jump-off, which among the 2-0 teams is the best team in the NFL right now?)

Chargers 40, Titans 7

Bolts 1-0 CW: Rivers does enoughBolts 2-0 CW: Best team in NFL?Titans 0-1 CW: Better than thisTitans 0-2 CW: A. Peterson can help

Extra note: There's something to this "Who is the best team in the NFL?" question. My first instinct was San Diego, but I might have to flip that to the Bears.

Here's a simplistic debate-settler: If the Bears offered Rex Grossman to the Chargers for Phil Rivers straight up, would you do it as Chargers GM? If so, the Bears are the better team right now. If not, the Chargers.

70 comments:

My biggest DUD is the Redskins O. What the hell?? Brunell stinks, but I feel like we went thru this last year too? The guy is 36 though so I really question how much he has left in the tank. Too many penalties too...this team is just not playing well. They NEED Portis.

Dan I can't disagree with you more about the Patriots as the most shaky 2-0 team. If you saw that game yesterday they dominated every aspect - they fell asleep and allowed the Jets to score two fluke TDs (on crazy RAC plays).

The Chargers, Ravens and Bears haven't played anyone yet so let's just relax with them as the cream of the crop.

My biggest stud of the day goes to Frank Gore and the juvenated SF 49ers - good to see the kids getting a chance to compete.

I agree with the notion that the Eagles gacked one away yesterday. Andy Reid played his mea culpa card yesterday ... about the 10th time in his tenure that he's played the "I was too conservative" card.

Once, I can understand. Twice, well, maybe shit happens. Three or more times? No, you're just a bad play-caller. To win in the NFL is to put your foot on the throat of the opponent ... and press down ... HARD.

You get the G-Men down 17 ... get 'em down 24 ... then 31 ... then 38, if you can. Don't let 'em up off the floor. Too often, the Eagles let up on the gas ... and it always comes back to bite them.

Look at what Indy and San Diego did yesterday ... ran it up. No one's whining about it. That's life in the National. Football. League.

Love the instant history, Dan, but can the Chargers and Bears play someone before we anoint them the greatest team in the NFL? Also, can a team who as Marty Schottenheimer as their coach be considered a title contender? He's the Worst. Playoff. Coach. Ever

When you look at what Parcells has done, and compare it to what the 'Skins have done under Gibbs, and you have to question the "genius" label. And I hate the Cowboys, so you have to know I think Parcells is that good.

Belichick is another one who is really a good coach. Look at the defections/departures from the Patriots ... and here they are again at 2-0. And, I hate the Pats, too.

I'd love to tell everyone how great a coach Andy Reid is ... but as long as he refuses to go out and get a punishing RB ... he's just a guy with a quirky "system".

Gotta love Carson Palmer racking up his second highest pass total...not bad, except he was upstaged by Rudi Johnson. Looking forward, how about the matchup next week against the Steelers? How banged up are the Bengals? And how does Big Ben bounce back tonight? Is there a more intriguing game next week?

Brien - I totally agree. It looked as if the Iggles just stopped playing after 35 minutes. It wasn't that all of a sudden the Giants were playing inspired football - the Eagles basically stopped playing. They had great pressure on Eli - 8 sacks. And they totally contained Tiki (51 yards). I don't know whether it was Reid's play calling or the fact that he let the players think their lead was good enough. The entire team was the big dud yesterday - laying a stinker in the middle of the Linc. I'm with you DS - the Eagles choked it away...again.

Warrick Dunn baby. They should just bite the bullet and run nothing but the option. Unless the Bucs defense is a whole lot worse than I think it is, the Falcons ground game is going to destroy the league this year.

Biggest Stud and Rex Grossman in the same sentence. Who woulda thunk it?Biggest Dud: Dare I say, Tom Brady. The guy looks listless. And it's not the lack of WRs/targets. His passes have not been good and he goes down the field too much hoping the running game and play action exposes holes, but he is best from 5 to 20 yards, not 20+. My Top 5:

Which game is bigger next week? 2-0 Bears at 2-0 Vikings? 2-0 Cincy at (maybe) 2-0 Pittsburgh? Or how about 2-0 Atlanta at 2-0 New Orleans (on Monday night?)? I should abstain from week 3 picks, but I CAN'T!

Hopefully, with this win, the Bills will stop being the "overwhelming" underdog in the games they play this year. They have to earn respect clearly from the crappy treatment at the hands of the national media but hopefully teams won't be taking them so lightly after their great game against the Pats(and no it wasn't the Pats playing down to them) and their convincing win against the Fins.

KC fans aren't overly happy, but they're still blaming everything on Gaether's. That's the excuse around here right now. They're also ripping Edwards for the clock mismanagement, though still justifying it with having Huard and not Green at QB. However, me being a Pats fan and watching Edwards with the Jets over the years, I just continue to snicker at the hiring of Edwards in the first place.

I have to give a shout out to perhaps the best back you've not really heard of ...

Michael Turner of the Chargers, who lit up the Titans for 138 yards on 13 carries, including a scintillating 75-yard romp.

For those who do not know who he is, Turner played for Northern Illinois University (my alma mater and current employer), and graduated as the leading rusher in team history. He came about 32 yards from a 2,000-yard season in 2003, when the Huskies beat Alabama, Maryland, and Iowa State en route to becoming the first non-BCS team to crack the Top 15 in the BCS poll (#12).

Turner has lightning speed and is small enough to sort of "appear" out of nowhere from behind his offensive linemen. He was nicknamed "The Burner" while he was here, and really showed great promise.

And ... heads-up ... there's another NIU back (who currently leads the nation in rushing) ... Garrett Wolfe ... who could gain some serious Heisman consideration as the year goes on. He's on pace for a 2,200-yard season, and put up 175 yards on Ohio State on opening day (as well as 268 this past Saturday against Buffalo).

Stud: How about LT in San Diego? He quietly puts up 120+ yards and 2 TD in the rout. Say what you want about Rivers, but having a back like that hanging around is going to make quarterbacking a bit easier.

Best 2-0 team right now has to be Cincy. Maybe they don't have the monster D, but that offense is good enough that with an average D (and I think there D is probably 10th best or so (just a feel thing not actual stats)) they are going to be a hard team to handle. Right after Cincy has to be Chicago. Remember last year when everyone was saying "imagine what this team would be like with some offense"? Well I think we are about to find out.

Dud: Roy Williams from Detroit. Not only for the guarantee bust but for how ridculously close they were to scoring in double digits. Maybe next week we can get a guarantee about 2 TD in a game?

how can a team that is 2-0 w/in their division (one win on the road) be considered the shakiest 2-0 team?

as a true pats fan, i agree that brady hasn't looked good... but he'll be great once he gets used to the new targets. but really, the face of this offense has changed. brady doesn't have to throw for 4k this year - not with dillon and maroney running the ball at 4+ per carry each.

the defense was great for the first half, and aside from the two long passes looked okay in the second half. just gotta tackle!

weakest 2-0: i hate to say it cause i live in nola, but it's the saints. they've only beaten two of the worst teams in the league... and not too comfortably

stud of the week: obviously grossman. picked him up for fantasy and already trying to trade my other qb.

Chicago has a great D, and enough O to be tough against anyone. I'm not even close to sold on Grossman, but if he can continue to play within his skills and not try to do too much, the D should be able to carry them.

Atlanta has an incredible running team and a good enough D. This translates into their offense having the ball the whole damn game. They'll end up playing against tired defenses, and continuing to rack up the yards on the ground.

Indiannapolis is just solid all around. If you don't count the playoffs...they're the best in-season team.

San Diego has LT. Just having him is good for 3-4 wins they wouldn't have had if Turner was the feature back. LT might get rundown towards the end of the year, but he is running behind one of the best fullbacks of all time.

Seattle is the town where I live. I hate the Seahawks. But, Hasselback is good enough. Holmgren is good enough. Alexander is better than good enough. The defense, you guessed it, good enough. They're not spectacular but they find a way to win.

Biggest Dud is the Redskins and their bright shiny new coaching staff. Not having Portis is hurting them, but I think they have much bigger issues than that. I think they're in for a long year, and I'm glad I don't have any of them on my fantasy teams.

Stud...LT, he plays for one quarter and racks up the same yards/TD as every other GOOD RB in the league. Its like watching Mike Tyson in his hayday, go in for a round, throw a knock-out punch and then sit down and look pretty. LT IS the best in the game right now.

Dud...John Gruden, Tampa brought him to town for his offensive genius, not his ability to get really red in the face and yell at players. 3 points in TWO games, you can NOT put all the blame on the QB.

P.S. Watching Phillip Rivers in college all 4 years for NC State, he is the REAL deal, and they have not even STARTED using him yet. Although his favorite reciever did pretty well yesterday too (Jericho Cotchery..I use to call him Jericho Catch-factory becuase all he does is manufacture catches)

Dan said:And, if you watched Saturday, it ain't like Brady Quinn is gonna be the answer

Which, amazingly, is what Packers fans have been saying for the last 12 months. The only people that have been saying that are people who don't watch the games (like Dan). We've said it before and we'll continue to say it: Brett Favre isn't the problem, and therefore replacing him isn't the solution. Someday Dan (and his ilk) will listen. Until then, I remain, faithfullyChristian (High Point, NC)

San Diego has LT. Just having him is good for 3-4 wins they wouldn't have had if Turner was the feature back. LT might get rundown towards the end of the year, but he is running behind one of the best fullbacks of all time.

And, as you saw yesterday, Turner is good for the yardage behind Lorenzo Neal. I don't think the Chargers miss much if LT needs a game off or is injured.

As for Lorenzo Neal ... I couldn't agree more. He's on a "streak" of something like seven straight seasons of blocking for RBs who have rushed for 1,000 yards or more. I've never seen a FB who was as good as Neal is at making good backs great. He's definite HOF material.

It's difficult to stray from the Giants-Eagles game when making stud/dud selections. That division will definitely come down to the wire, and for the Eagles to toss away a game like that--and for the Giants to fight their way back, scrapping their earlier game plan mid-stream--will likely have longterm implications.

That being said, I want to send along my thoughts and prayers to the ball players at Duquesne who were involved in that senseless incident over the weekend. Here's to a quick recovery, and hopefully peace on the campus.

When thinking about stud/dud I felt the need to post a link to the Jericho Cotchery catch from the Pats/Jets game yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwAk7-Dv-U

Seriously when do you ever see something like this? If they redid this play 100 times this is probably the only time his knee doesnt hit the ground - just amazing job plus a little luck and it really changed the game from a blowout to much closer then it really was.

It's pretty interesting: Though I'm taking SOME flack for not considering the Pats among the best 2-0 teams (even calling them "shaky"), it doesn't look like many of YOU consider the Pats among the Top 5 2-0 teams either. -- Dan

I'm a big Chiefs fan, but I have to disagree with your comment that as Chiefs fans we should be upset with the outcome of yesterdays game. With Green out we figured a blowout for Denver was upon us. Instead we found ourselves leading the game in the 4th quarter with a backup QB at the helm. The KC defense is AMAZINGLY improved (not that it had any room to get worse) from the last few years. We can actually make defensive stands against teams! It's a miracle. We may have lost the game 9-6 but the improved defense, LJ's monster rushing performance once again, and having a backup QB running the entire thing shows that we are on the right track to become a positive team in the next few years. Given it looks like it will be a different format, of Defense and ball control offense...but as long as it equals wins it's all good. Glad to see you're still posting even without the Quickie. Look forward to your posts everyday.

I'm a big Chiefs fan, but I have to disagree with your comment that as Chiefs fans we should be upset with the outcome of yesterdays game. With Green out we figured a blowout for Denver was upon us. Instead we found ourselves leading the game in the 4th quarter with a backup QB at the helm. The KC defense is AMAZINGLY improved (not that it had any room to get worse) from the last few years. We can actually make defensive stands against teams! It's a miracle. We may have lost the game 9-6 but the improved defense, LJ's monster rushing performance once again, and having a backup QB running the entire thing shows that we are on the right track to become a positive team in the next few years. Given it looks like it will be a different format, of Defense and ball control offense...but as long as it equals wins it's all good. Glad to see you're still posting even without the Quickie. Look forward to your posts everyday.

I'm a big Chiefs fan, but I have to disagree with your comment that as Chiefs fans we should be upset with the outcome of yesterdays game. With Green out we figured a blowout for Denver was upon us. Instead we found ourselves leading the game in the 4th quarter with a backup QB at the helm. The KC defense is AMAZINGLY improved (not that it had any room to get worse) from the last few years. We can actually make defensive stands against teams! It's a miracle. We may have lost the game 9-6 but the improved defense, LJ's monster rushing performance once again, and having a backup QB running the entire thing shows that we are on the right track to become a positive team in the next few years. Given it looks like it will be a different format, of Defense and ball control offense...but as long as it equals wins it's all good. Glad to see you're still posting even without the Quickie. Look forward to your posts everyday.

In defense of the Ravens... maybe they haven't played anyone "big", but even still, they've beat both opponents handily and without much of a fight. no one has scored a touch down on them yet, and eventhough they've played some crap teams, i think that's gotta say something.

now if everyone can stay healthy and out of prison, we just may make a good season out of this!

Is it possible that Jon Fox is catching a lot of heat for no reason? I saw the interview he gave after the game and I'm not sure that he came out and said "I am the one who called that play."

I really think he might be taking the bullet for his assistants and players on this one by saying he is the coach, all decisions run through him. I know they tried the play in practice and it worked but I'm not convinced that he called that play in at that time.

I believe Fox is too good of a coach to make a decision like that - and I think this might just be him taking the heat for a stupid stupid play.

It's been a helluva long time since I've seen a team so completely succumb to overconfidence the way the Eagles did against the Giants. As a Cowboys fan, I don't care for either team but enjoyed the hell out of watching Eli steal a victory out of McNabb's back pocket. OH, to be able to listen to Philly Sports-Talk Radio this morning!

subplot: anyone else notice chad johnson now resembles the bad guy from indiana jones and the temple of doom? how long before one of his TD celebrations involves ripping the still-beating heart of the opposing CB's chest?

Reggie Bush is a piece that you can plug in with David Carr and Andre Johnson and really build around. Can you build around Mario Williams? Sure its early, but you can plug in a scrub D Lineman and get the same results Williams is giving you.

Biggest stud ... and it really pains me to say this ... Eli Manning ... sacked eight times, but still slung the G-Men to a 17-point comeback and OT win. That's guts, folks.

Biggest dud ... Jon Gruden. He inherited a SB-quality team and has turned them into flops in less than three years. The Bucs have looked absolutely pitful on offense (and Gruden's a Brian Billick type who got his rep on the offensive side of the ball), and it's not all Chris Simms' fault.

Look for former Toledo QB Bruce Gradkowski soon in the Tampa huddle ... he is very, very, very good. Another MAC QB (Culpepper, Pennington, Roethlisberger, Frye).

Just wanted to give the Vikings a little ink. They have two (ugly) wins over teams that were predicted to be (but look like they aren't) good. They are not the best team, but I think that as the season goes on they will become the team that noone wants to play in the playoffs. Their style keeps games close and they don't beat themselves. I know I have purple colored glasses, but they just seem to be on there way to 11 wins by a field goal this year.

okay i didn't know where else to post this.... maybe i'm just going crazy or missing something, or maybe its just a really strong coincidence, or maybe they're really the same person i didn't realize it.... go to these two sites and read #1 on each list:

am I the only one who isnt impressed by the Falcons. Sure nearly 400 yards rushing but only 14 points? You hear a team pass for 400 yards ur expecting ATLEAST 30+ points. Falcons march up and down the field 4 times, only get touchdowns, no field goals

I hate all the Al Saunders criticism. I wasn't sure what to make of coordinators until Culpepper called his former Off. Coord. a "godsend", but I currently think they are important. Portis isn't healthy and Brunell is 87 years old. It's hard to execute an offense when you don't have any players to do it. Yes, they are talented at wideout, but w/o a good QB to get the ball to them, they are worthless.

Last year, the Steelers first team O scored 0 pts in the pre-season and looked like absolute shit. They came out in week 1 and 2 and just rolled over Tennesse and Houston with ease.

Lastly, picking up Vick in the late rounds of my fantasy draft sure is looking good.

And the Ravens D certainly is impressive. But then again, it usually is. But the Raiders and Bucs' defenses are atrocious. When they play a tough defense, watch scores suddenly drop to 9-6 or 13-10. And yes, I just called the Bucs defense atrocious. They were good a couple of years ago, but all of the key players are long gone.

Being a Skins fan since nearly birth and living a time zone away, I can't imagine the media backlash from their 0-2 start.

Who cares if they are the most valued franchise in the NFL, taking a page from the Yankees and trying to buy a championship. The only difference is that Steinbrenner's investment has paid off and Snyder's hasn't.

Kornheiser had it right last week when he referred to Gibb's running of a football team versus a Nascar team - "You wouldn't get the best pit crew, crew chief, engine, body and all the the little necessities, then hire some crappy driver to lose the race. So what is the rational behind keeping and starting Mark Brunell".

Connect With Me

Quickish

About This Blog

DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.